By Onyekachi Eze
A former governor of Imo State, now representing Imo West (Orlu Zone) at the National Assembly, Senator Rochas Okorocha has made an open confession, alleging that his successor, Governor Hope Uzodinma hates him with venom
Owelle Okorocha made the open statement on Sunday in a National Television Programme during the Channels TV program “Politics” where he played a guest role.
Among other comments made by the erstwhile Governor was the one he accused Uzodinma of hating him.
Responding to a question posed on him about any plans to broker peace with Uzodinma, Senator Okorocha said,
“Governor Hope Uzodinma hates me with passion. He just hates me and I don’t know the reason. He has been fighting me, but never a day have I fought him back. I made it a duty that I will never fight back. But he is just showing hatred I don’t know for what reason. He doesn’t seem to be changing”.
“As I speak to you now, my drivers and my security men were arrested for the past 5days now and kept in a police station and nothing is said about it”.
Okorocha continued, “I don’t know what is wrong with him. I see hatred, and if I engage him now, that would even create more problem in a State that I suffered to build. I must be a father. I am not fighting him”.
Recalling his past experiences, the Imo former governor asserted, ” The last time I was in my house, I was arrested. I have gone through a lot in Nigeria. If you recall that I was the same person that won my election to the Senate, and my certificate was seized, last time, I was arrested there, here again in Abuja, I was arrested, I was being humiliated, my property were burnt and destroyed everywhere in Imo State. So I don’t know, but I love peace and time will tell. For whatever it is, I think time will tell”.
Speaking further about Uzodinma, Okorocha opined, “For the gentleman, I don’t know what it is, but he has this hate. At a point, I was thinking he was acting on a script and had people behind him doing this. If Governor Hope Uzodinma had invited me, I would have shown him the ways to handle all these problems”.
In a related development, Okorocha revealed that if not for one of the Hausa Policemen on duty at Akachi estate, Owerri, Imo State, there was an alleged plan to assassinate him.
It would be recalled that one of the fiasco that ensued between Okorocha’s men and Uzodinma’s Government was at Akachi estate, said to belong to Okorocha’s wife.
The journey embarked by Okorocha at the estate landed the ex governor in police headquarters Owerri.
Meanwhile, giving reasons why he had to enter the Hilux Jeep during the fracas, Owelle said he did so after listening to the danger language sign shown him by the Hausa police officer.
According to Okorocha, he alleged that the officer who spoke to him in Hausa dialect told him to depart from Akachi immediately to avoid death, which he did.
“If not for the Hausa police officer who spoke to me in Hausa language, the idea was assassinating me at that point”, Okorocha alleged.
